


Who you gonna call?

by Malvapulce



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Gay Sex, Ghosts, Horror, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Original Character(s), Paranormal, Yaoi, kuroo has a sister, kuroo with long hair, references to movies and tv shows, there will be mentions of other ships but it's mainly kuroken
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-07 21:04:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7729696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malvapulce/pseuds/Malvapulce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone might say that he had seen too many horror movies. Someone might say that he had watched too many episodes of Ghost Hunters. The idea of setting up a team of your own ghost hunting was bound to fall flat on its face, wasn't it? And how the hell could he find a partner, someone who believed in the same stuff as he did?</p>
<p>Or: Kenma decides to set up a ghost hunting team. But first he needs a partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have two other fics that require my attention but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. I'll just call it my late summer project. :B
> 
> Please note that this is a horror story but it won't be gory. There might be some mentions of gory past events but nothing very graphic. Instead, there will be many references (/spoilers) to horror movies, books and tv shows as well as to real life events, and inspiration drawn from them. Be especially prepared for many, many Ghost Hunters references.
> 
> Thank you to [Hailey](http://yuuuusuke.tumblr.com) for accepting the betaing job!

Sure, the idea had been bad to begin with.

It had been bad and he had expected some headwind - had been prepared for it or at least thought he had been – but the third candidate sitting across the table broke through his carefully rehearsed façade in half a second. 

"About the payment..." the woman began. Judging by the deep lines crossing her face and the grey strands peeking from between the carefully styled curls, there was no way she fitted within the age limit he had set up.

"Well, the money is not actually relevant here," Kenma interrupted her. He had thought that he had made the financial stuff clear in his ad. No assignments, no money. The beginning was bound to be difficult, and the majority of the first earnings would have to be invested in the equipment. That should have gone without saying, since this was not the kind of job that made you rich, unless it was turned into a successful reality show. 

The woman waved her hand, sunlight flashing off her red, polished nails. "Yes, yes, I realize that. I just wanted to point out that you could keep all the money yourself. My subsistence is quite alright, so it's not the money that's intriguing me here."

_But..?_

"Of course it would only be reasonable to get some sort of compensation of the hours I'd put in. I divorced my husband quite a few years ago and after that it's been rather quiet... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, being the smart young man you are."

Kenma felt his ears heat up. Shit, was this really happening to him? And in a public place, on top of that. He had chosen a spot in a corner and kept his voice down, and while he was really hoping that nobody had heard, he was also hoping that somebody had indeed heard and would come and rescue him by throwing the hag out.

Perhaps out of luck and for completely understandable reasons he had until then avoided running into cougars. Just how desperate was she? Didn't she see his worn-out clothes, dark circles under his eyes or his hair which hadn't seen a professional hairdresser in years?

"This would be an excellent arrangement for you," the woman continued. Kenma couldn't remember her name but she was the spitting image of Cruella de Vil. "As a student you must have a small income and now when you're setting up this little project of yours, you'll probably be low on free time too. When would you have time to meet girls? I could assist you in your hobby and later on we could... keep each other some company."

Kenma raised his hand, rubbing his neck. His skin was damp beneath his hair. Never before in his life had he hoped so much for his phone to ring and give him an excuse to leave quickly. "I really don't think that..."

"If you need some financial assistance, that can be arranged too," the woman cut him off. "I happen to have quite a bit of fortune, thanks to my ex-husband and great lawyer."

In other words, the arrangement of 'You can pay me with your services' was also possible to turn into 'I'll pay you for sex'.

Kenma pulled his hand back from his neck, rubbing the bridge of his nose instead, on the spot where glasses would have left marks, had he needed a pair. "Um, I'll contact you if... if I decide to settle on you, Ma'am." Unbelievable that he even had to voice it. Unbelievable that he had stayed after finding out that the woman had lied her age and probably everything else on top of that.

She tapped her polished nails on the table with a disapproving look. "Alright then. I was just throwing the idea out there. I'm willing to accept the arrangements you suggested."

"I have a couple of more candidates here so..." Kenma dared to look in her wrinkled eyes. Her false lashes had loosened up at the corners, fluttering in a grotesque way every time she blinked.

The woman snorted, getting to her feet and hoisting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure the other candidates can't offer as profitable deal as I, but it's your decision." She wasn't even trying to cover up her resentment. She clearly thought Kenma was making the mistake of his life. A person had to have an enormous amount of self-confidence if they dared to voice such a proposition in a public place when the rejection was almost certain. She lingered in the spot for a little longer, her hand resting on the back of the chair, expecting him to reconsider. 

"My next candidate will be here any minute," Kenma said, despite of not talking with the woman longer than five minutes. She probably didn't buy it, but she took the hint and marched to the exit, spiked heels of her shoes clacking against the café floor. The bell tinged as she yanked the door open, forcing arriving customers to step aside and storming to the street like a tsunami. Kenma waited for her to disappear behind the corner before fetching his phone from his pocket and opening LINE for the latest conversation.

_'Hey, Shouyou.'_

Luckily Shouyou had had his phone at hand, as he answered right away. _'Hey, Kenma, what's up?'_

Kenma sighed inwardly, comforted by the mere thought of his friend's cheerful voice. _'Something weird just happened to me.'_ His coffee was sitting on the table in front of him, still untouched, and he picked it up. Yuck, it had cooled off. Perhaps he should get another one, just to compensate occupying the table for so long.

_'Really? What? Tell me!'_

_'I just interviewed my third candidate.'_

_'Was it someone you know?'_

_'No. I'm not usually acquainted with middle-aged cougars.'_ If you excluded his aunt, but as her nephew he wasn't the target of her prey drive.

_'Hah! You sure she was in the right place?'_

_'Yeah. The job or the wage didn't seem to interest her at all. She said I could keep the money if I paid her with my services. Or that she could pay me too.'_

_'Jesus! That's'_ Shouyou paused to probably think of a suitable word. 'Unexpected', Kenma would have phrased it but maybe Shouyou thought it was rude. _'You told her that she's hired, right?'_ A smirking smiley.

 _'I promised to let her know my decision later.'_ He picked up the coffee as a reflex, tasting it before remembering it had gone stale. _'Luckily she doesn't have my number.'_

_'Man, that has never happened to me. At least I think it hasn't. I don't always get the hint, haha.'_

_'If it had to happen, I would have preferred it to happen on some other occasion.'_ He had put his hope on her after it had turned out that the third candidate was a woman and very intuitive. Women were sensitive to these kinds of things and more receptive than men.

_'What were the other candidates like?'_

_'Alright, I guess,'_ he muttered, checking his notes. _'No one is really standing out, but you know, I've only met three.'_ That was also the amount of contacts to his ad, so all in all it was slim pickings. Not that he had expected anything else.

_'Did you ask them if they believe in ghosts?'_

_'I didn't. It should go without saying if you read the ad carefully.'_ The first candidate had turned out to be a sceptic who, dulled by too much free time, wanted to try something new, but that wasn't what Kenma was looking for either. The combination called Mulder and Scully didn't necessarily work outside of fiction, and since his life wasn't an epic sci-fi show, he wasn't too eager to give it a shot. _'I think I'll just wait and see if other candidates show up.'_ His inbox had been empty when he had checked it before the first interview, but he'd rather wait than team up with a creep or a sceptic.

_'You still in the coffee shop or wherever you were interviewing them?'_

_'Yeah. I'll just get myself a cup of coffee and go home.'_

_'Alright. Hey, you wanna watch a movie tonight? Your place?'_

Kenma pondered for a moment if he was ready for more social contacts that day. If he got home now, he'd have four or five hours to himself. And Shouyou's presence didn't usually tire him out, as bubbly and lively as he was. _'Yeah, why not.'_

_'Great! I'll be there around seven, okay?'_

_'Sure.'_

_'See you then!'_

Kenma pocketed his phone and pushed himself up to his feet, planning to add a few hundred yens to the café's till. The were only three customers lined up to the cashier but since the place was so small, he left his coat on the chair to indicate that the spot was taken. It just happened that he didn't manage to take more than two steps before his way to the front was blocked. 

He had to tilt his head back in order to look into the eyes of the person who had stepped across his way. Almost two meters tall, the guy was towering over him, making him take a step back. The body language told Kenma that the stranger hadn't just accidentally crossed his path. His eyes might have ghosted over the guy when he had entered the café, and something smaller than an instinct had advised him to choose a table in the opposite corner. Because that's what the guys who caused trouble on bus stops at night looked like. Exactly that. 

The hood of his red jacket left his face in the shadow – Kenma had a recollection that the guy had worn the hood over his head when he had arrived – and there was a tuft of coarse, black hair protruding from inside it. There were threads hanging from his saggy, faded-out jeans, and a chain exiting from his pocket disappeared behind his back. His presence was very dominating, not something you could just ignore. 

To Kenma's knowledge he had done nothing to provoke the guy and a small café wasn't a favourable place for a skirmish, but the overall appearance of the stranger was so intimidating that the shock must have been visible on his face when the guy decided to address him politely. 

"Hello, excuse me. I couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about with your friends."

Kenma let out a small sound of surprise. He had kept his voice lower than normal (and his voice wasn't very loud to begin with) and his candidates had minded their volume too, regarding the nature of the conversation. There had been several tables between them. It wasn't possible for their conversation to carry over to the other end of the café. 

He located a pair of eyes from inside the hood. They didn't look unfriendly even if the stranger had probably aimed for a demonic look with his yellow contacts. 

"They... they weren't my friends," he muttered. Especially not the last one.

"Heh, I sort of caught that. I would like to ask you about it if you have a moment?" 

"Ask about what? My so-called friends?"

"No, about the thing you were discussing."

Kenma glanced over his shoulder at his coat spread over the back of a chair. He really couldn't say that he was leaving, could he? Of course he could lie and say that he had forgotten the coat, snatch it and tell the stranger that he was in a hurry but... 

"Why?" He didn't care if he sounded impolite. It wasn't anyone's business what he was up to.

"I'm interested," the guy said. "If I understood what it was all about, that is."

"Um..." Damn, how would he sneak his way out of this? Should he even try? Despite his appearance, the guy didn't seem aggressive and they were in a public place.

As he was still musing over his words, the reason of his concern half-turned towards the counter, pointing at it. "I'll treat you to a cup of coffee, alright?"

"You really don't hav–"

"You want milk in it? Sugar? Cream?"

"No, just... black."

"Roger that. Just take a seat and I'll be right with you." And then he spun around on his heels and headed towards the counter. 

Kenma stood on the spot for a moment, stupefied, before slowly turning around and returning to the table. The people near him stole some glances at him, surprised by the little scene. Back at his seat, Kenma quickly pulled out his phone and texted Shouyou again. _'Please call me in half an hour to check that I'm okay.'_

Shouyou had never been so quick to answer him. _'What, why? Is something wrong?'_

_'Probably not, but just to make sure. Could you do that?'_

_'Of course, but it does sound a little alarming. Is it the cougar again?'_

_'No, nothing like that.'_ He put his phone away even if it did beep for another message and lowered his arms onto the table. Nervousness made him slide his fingers on the surface before they found a napkin and began tearing it into pieces.

_What if he puts something in your coffee?_

The thought cast an icy wave over him. The guy had been so eager and quick to offer the coffee. He had to have an ulterior motive. The whole thing would have made more sense, had Kenma been a pretty girl. There was one in the café, sitting alone with a book. She would have been a more predictable target. Ugh, too many odd details. Maybe the guy hadn't even heard what Kenma had been talking with his candidates but had just used it as an excuse to impose himself. 

He could grab his coat and get out while he was lining up to the cashier. Although, for that he had to walk right by the counter and the guy was bound to notice him. But who cared? In the street he could just blend in with the crowd. 

For some reason he remained on his seat, following with his eyes as the guy ordered a coffee. His back was towards the table but Kenma could still see him lifting his hand to grab the cup, turning around immediately and heading towards the table carrying a tray and the cup on it. There hadn't been a chance for him to sneak anything into the coffee and the server had seen the drink the whole time.

That didn't lower Kenma's guard.

The guy had a small smile plastered on his lips as he sat at the table opposite to Kenma, setting down the tray with a simple cup of black coffee in it. He hadn't ordered anything for himself. He sat down carefully, like he was favouring his one buttock, leaning slightly onto his right side. And he still didn't take off his hood, but at this angle the sunlight hit his face, revealing a part of it.

Kenma managed to keep his cool. Just what was wrong with the guy's face? His first thought was that he had some sort of deformity or a syndrome but the face was symmetrical and there weren't any injuries, excluding a tiny scar on his left cheek. It was just that his features were special. Strong and eye-catching and not because of the contacts. Kenma hoped he could see better but apparently the guy was aware of his conspicuous looks and pulled the hood lower over his face.

Kenma managed to mutter thanks as he grabbed the tray and pulled it closer to himself.

"You're welcome. And let me apologize for barging in on you like that!" The way the guy spoke didn't point to any part of the country; there wasn't a clear dialect or accent. He didn't appear Japanese either, but his language skills were deceiving enough. Now, as they were on the same level, Kenma thought he could make out an abnormal dentition too. The guy was really taking his demon-vampire look seriously, walking around in public with a set of fake fangs in his mouth. From what Kenma could see through the shadows, those pearls had cost a bit more than the plastic teeth you could find in joke shops.

"Yes, well, I'm a bit curious to hear what in our conversations was so interesting," Kenma said. He wanted to test the stranger out, to check if he had indeed heard or if he was just making an excuse.

"Of course. But hey, names first!" The guy held out his hand. Kenma counted five black-tipped, sharp nails. Reluctantly he took the hand and the guy shook it, his grip firm but not crushing. "I'm Kuroo Tetsurou."

"Kozume Kenma."

"Nice to meet you, Kozume-san."

"Uh, just call me Kenma."

"Okay then, Kenma. You can call me Kuro." He trailed off, waiting for Kenma to speak but he had already asked his question and stared at the guy (who had a Japanese name even though he didn't look Japanese. Maybe he was a mix) until he got the hint. "Oh, yeah, uh, I mean, if I understood correctly, you were talking about something like... ghost hunting?" As he said it out loud, it sounded so childish, a game little kids would play. Why did it sound so much cooler in English? Nobody thought that the T.A.P.S. team were childish in their investigations. 

A wave of heat was trying to sneak up on him from his collar, making him clear his throat. "If you want to call it that." 

"You wish to investigate the paranormal?"

"That was the idea, yes. To investigate places where paranormal phenomena had been reported, whether it be an old factory or a private home, and maybe catch some of it on tape. I know what it sounds like but..." He forced himself to shut up. He didn't have to explain his motives to a stranger.

"I told you, I'm interested," Kuro assured him. "Mostly because I've been under the impression that people don't believe in ghosts."

Something in the wording caught Kenma's attention. He registered it ¬– it sounded like there was a footnote – but set it aside to be processed later. "Many people believe in them, in fact, if you start digging," he said, hating that he sounded defensive. _Many people start believing when the darkness wraps the rooms in its curtain and the scratching sound in the attic begins, even though exterminators had just stated that the house was clear._ "Denying is the initial reaction. You don't want to have the stamp of a loony on your forehead."

Kuro looked at him from the shadow of his hood, his lips threatening to curve into a smile. It looked like he was struggling to keep a straight face. "But that doesn't matter to you?"

Kenma wondered if Kuro's only motive to approach him had been a public humiliation. He didn't see the appeal of it since the guy seemed to be alone but sometimes people acted in mysterious ways. "No, it doesn't." It did, but not enough to prevent him from executing his plan. 

"Is it a business idea? You thinking about setting up a company?"

"I don't think it works that way. I don't know how I should call it but it's not a company." He hoped Kuro wasn't a business consultant, head hunter or anything of the sort. Even if he was, he had to be a freelancer. After all, what kind of a company would have allowed their agent hunt for new clients dressed up like a rock musician? "I'd rather called it a free time project, since I have studies to take care of too."

"Oh, you're in school? University?"

Kenma tilted his head. "You're not trying to sell me anything?"

His question silenced Kuro for a moment. He just stared at him, his mouth agape, processing the words. "Sell?"

"Because if you're some kind of an agent... If you're offering me your company's services or want to advise me in setting up a business or something, I'm not interested."

"I'm not anything. I just want to hear about this idea of yours," Kuro promised. "Although..."

Kenma could feel his guard rising up again. His voice adapted the same indifferent tone that he used when a telemarketer happened to call. "Although what?"

"You're looking for someone to work with? A partner? Someone to help you out with your project?"

Kenma wanted to say no but Kuro must have figured that out too. "Something like that."

Kuro leaned forward, the sunlight mirroring off his eyes with the intensity of amber. The contacts nowadays were pretty realistic, weren't they? "Would you like to interview one more candidate?"

At that point Kenma began glancing around him, searching for a candid camera or anything that would reveal that he was being pranked. "Eh, you mean you?"

"Yes, I mean me!" Enthusiasm in Kuro's voice sounded genuine. The passion in his eyes looked genuine. "Unless you have already decided to hire one of your previous candidates, but if I may say, the last one definitely was after something else than ghosts."

"Thank you, I noticed that myself." Remembering his coffee, Kenma picked up his cup and brought it to his lips. It had cooled down a little and felt soothing running down his throat and moistening his vocal cords. He really wasn't used to talking so much on one afternoon. The coffee tasted normal, no traces of anything extra in it. "May I ask why you're interested? It's not like this will make a lot of money and sleep will be a luxury since the investigations will most likely take place at night."

"I don't mind. I'm pretty much nocturnal anyway." 

Well, that wasn't really a surprise.

"Are you in school or working?"

Kuro grinned, revealing his collection of white, sharp teeth. The canines were the most prominent but also his incisors were sharper than normal, yet they didn't protrude from his mouth like cheap Halloween dentures tended to do. An expensive prosthesis. But why? "No, I'm not working or in school. I have a lot of free time."

Where had he gotten money for his realistic dentition? Did he have rich relatives?

Encouraged that his rehearsed interviewer mode was slowly making a comeback, Kenma continued with his questioning, "Alright, I gather you already understood that you wouldn't make a living out of this? It's more like a hobby."

"I got that. I'm not interested in money. What I am interested in is the paranormal stuff."

"Where does your interest come from? Do you have some personal experiences or something?"

Kuro leaned back, casting a shadow over his features again. "You could say that, yes."

"So, if you were to hop on board, what would be your goal? What are you hoping to get out of this?"

"New experiences," Kuro said immediately. "It would be entertaining."

So his only motive was to have fun, to put it simply. Kenma couldn't really blame him. His own interests weren't much nobler. 

Of course that was what Kuro asked him next. Kenma thought about it a little before opening his mouth. "I've sort of been interested in this stuff since childhood and then I got the inspiration to try if I could get a... bigger hobby out of it, or even a side job."

Kuro nodded. "Sounds promising. So what are you looking for in your partner?"

It was hard to say. Kenma had thought that he'd know when he met the right one. From the candidates he had interviewed thus far, Kuro was hands down the best. He was around the same age as him and seemed genuinely interested in his idea. That is, if he wasn't a good actor shooting a prank for a questionable tv show. 

"You don't want to work alone?" Kuro asked, as Kenma was still hesitating with his reply.

He had considered that, being as antisocial as he was, but it was too risky. "No, that would be... probably not dangerous, but it would be good to have someone else there too, if only to help in keeping your head clear. Besides, a paranormal phenomenon is usually measured only by how many people have witnessed it and one person's testimony can't make a very good proof."

"That's true. Although, I don't think two witnesses make that much difference."

"Not necessarily, but I'm not trying to scrape together a real life Ghostbusters. A single partner will have to do for now. What I'm looking for is... someone who believes but can also keep their cool and separate supernatural things from natural. Who has a healthy amount of scepticism."

"Are you planning to only investigate or also do something about the phenomena?"

"I think it depends on the nature of it. Mainly I just wish to investigate them, but if it's something that's interfering too much with people's lives, then they might need to get rid of it. I just don't think I'm the right person for that but at least I can give some advice where they can seek help."

"Okay, got it. So how would it work, basically? You're gonna put an ad out there and people will call you and then we'll go and investigate?"

 _We._ And he even said it so nonchalantly, not sounding pushy but just talking like they had already decided on the matter. 'Once _we_ get there...' Kenma didn't know how to take it. Maybe it was Kuro's strategy to increase his chances, maybe he did it unconsciously. 

"I haven't come up with a better idea yet," Kenma said. "An ideal situation would be that our reputation..." _Excuse me, are you playing along now?_ "An ideal situation would be if the word spread so that people would know who to turn to."

"Uh-huh." Kuro was quiet for a moment, fiddling with his fingers and drawing unnecessary attention to his nails. Why did they look like that? They weren't even fully black but the colour darkened towards the tip. They looked like he had dyed his hair without rubber gloves. Or they would have looked like that if the colour had spread unevenly. Noticing his gaze, Kuro pulled his hands under the table. Kenma lifted his chin, grabbing his coffee and downing the rest of it.

"Are y–?"

"Do you–?"

Kenma nodded at Kuro for him to speak first.

"Do you have something more to ask me?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Well, this is a subject that I could babble on and on about, but I don't think I have more urgent questions anymore. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough."

"Hmm, yeah." Kenma had questions but none of them seemed appropriate. Unlike in fairytales, in real life you didn't ask someone why they had such big teeth or sharp nails. "Is it okay that I think about it and let you know what I decide?" 

Kuro flashed him a smile. "Of course. By the way, let me know if you need help writing your ad. I mean the 'We'll detect phantoms and other nightly creatures that might be invading your home' ad."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Kenma fished his phone out. "May I have your number?"

"Uh, I don't have a phone at the moment, but I'll give you my sister's number. I live with her."

"Oh, okay then." Just who nowadays didn't have a cell phone? Kuro had to be very poor. On top of that, he lived with his sister. Of course there could be another reason for that – maybe he hadn't found a place of his own. Decent apartments were hard to get, and if you looked like a demon, landlords might not warm up to you that easily. Kenma had been lucky to find an affordable flat.

He added the sister's number into his contacts and peered at Kuro. "You don't happen to have a car, do you?"

An ironic laughter answered his question. "No, but my sister has one."

Too bad. A car was almost a necessity. His parents occasionally loaned him their rusty Fiat Punto but mom needed it quite often. Why didn't they just buy that new car they had talked about for months? That way he could have borrowed Fiat for a longer period. He couldn't really count on Kuro's sister lending out her car every time the duty called.

That was when the theme of The X-Files began playing. Shouyou was calling and ten minutes too early. Kenma checked if Kuro had reacted to the tune but he was just sitting quietly and waiting for Kenma to pick up the call. He swiped at the screen, bringing the device to his ear.

"You alright?" Shouyou was a little out of breath. It sounded like he was walking outside. 

"I am, but you called too soon."

"Sorry, but your message was so unnerving. I didn't want to wait until you had had your meeting with a serial killer. I thought it would be better to call and prevent your premature death."

"Everything's fine. I was just leaving. I'll call you in a bit."

"If you don't, I'll call you again and if you don't pick up, I'm calling the police."

"Just wait for five minutes or so." He hung up and turned to look at Kuro. "I have to go. Thank you for this, erm, unexpected interview and the coffee too."

Kuro pushed his chair back, standing up. Shit, Kenma had already forgotten how tall he was. "Thank you, Kenma, and sorry for intruding again."

"That's fine." Maybe this was the partner that he had been looking for. Kuro was indeed the best candidate, but something about him was so off-putting that Kenma thought he should wait and see if more interested people showed up.

Kenma grabbed his coat and walked past his new acquaintance. By the door he turned to look over his shoulder, checking if Kuro was following him but the black-haired guy had returned to his original table in the corner and waved his hand at him. Kenma raised his hand briefly before slipping out of the café.


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, Shouyou arrived around seven, bringing a large bag of snacks with him.

"I didn't buy it all myself," he explained, piling the treats onto the kitchen counter. "We had a get-together last weekend and people brought too much stuff as always. There's no way me and Tobio are going to eat all of this on our own." He then took a closer look of Kenma's face, his forehead scrunching up in concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, why?" Kenma tried to look like he didn't know what Shouyou was talking about, but they hadn't seen each other for two weeks (because Shouyou actually tried to concentrate on his studies and then there was the volleyball too) and the dark around Kenma's eyes had adapted a new hue.

"You look a bit tired. I could come back some other time."

"No, I'm fine. I might fall asleep in front of the tv but I'm fine." Hah, like he would ever just casually 'fall asleep' in his home. Although, lately he had spent more nights on the couch than in the bed.

"If you're sure..." Shouyou was still inspecting him, his face all too close for Kenma's liking. Shouyou didn't do it on purpose, that was just the way he was and sometimes he forgot that Kenma took the concept of personal space very seriously. 

Kenma took a stealthy step back, busying himself with a water boiler. "Want some green tea?"

"Yeah, sure. I think a break from sugary drinks would be in order. After all, we're not sixteen anymore."

According to Kenma's observations, Shouyou still used every bit of food he ate. He wasn't as scrawny as he had been during his teenage years, but there still didn't appear to be a gram of fat in body. His arms were slim and wiry, lean muscles outlining against his skin when he flexed his fingers. Sometimes Kenma wished he had been born with an athletic drive too.

"So what do you wanna watch?" Shouyou asked while they waited for the water to boil.

"Something light. A comedy maybe."

"So no horror movies this time?"

Kenma shook his head. Tonight he didn't feel like it. He was wondering if he needed to cut down watching horror and supernatural stuff in general. It had been affecting his nights a bit too much lately. In that regard, his new hobby-slash-job perhaps wasn't the wisest choice, but who knew, maybe even paranormal phenomena became mundane if you experienced it often enough?

"Do you have a film on your mind?"

"Not really. You can pick one."

"Alright!"

Five minutes later they were sitting on the couch with their cups of tea and a bowl of chips in front of them. Shouyou had picked a dark American comedy called Little Miss Sunshine which Kenma had seen twice but didn't mind watching again. Besides, watching movies with Shouyou didn't mean only watching, since he had the tendency to comment on every little detail, and then he usually remembered something that was somehow related to a scene of the film and began talking about it. Kenma didn't mind. 

Shouyou also found it difficult to stay put for longer than ten minutes. He didn't fidget, but he made excuses to stand up and get something from the kitchen or go to the bathroom. Kenma didn't mind that either. That was just how Shouyou was. When he thought about it, in many ways, they were polar opposites, which still sometimes made him wonder why Shouyou had wanted to befriend him (since it had been all Shouyou's doing. Had it been up to Kenma, they would have probably never met again). But he definitely wasn't complaining. 

"By the way, did you read that manga I borrowed you?"

"Oh yeah, I think it's on my nightstand." Kenma had been surprised to learn that Shouyou was reading manga in the first place and had asked the name of the series. Shouyou had wanted Kenma to give the manga a try and had practically forced the paperback on him. He had finished reading it already.

"Okay, I'll go get it." Shouyou hopped up and disappeared into the bedroom. This was also rather common practise in their friendship: Shouyou was allowed everywhere in his apartment and he didn't need to ask permission to go to Kenma's bedroom or pick something from the fridge.

As the redhead came back, he slumped down onto the couch and grimaced just visibly, reaching behind his back to rub his bottom. "Shit, Tobio really gave it to me good this afternoon."

Yet another notable trait of Shouyou: he was embarrassingly open about his sex life. Kenma remembered he hadn't always been that way, not when they had been awkward high school kids wondering if they liked girls or guys. It had started when Shouyou had been with Tobio for two years or so and the first digit of their age had turned 2. Would he become the same when... _if_ he ever had a sex life?

Kuro had also sat a bit uncomfortably during their interview. Kenma wondered if it was because of similar reasons. He hadn't appeared gay but you never knew. Maybe he had just hurt himself playing sports or diving off the stage during a concert or something like that.

"Sorry," Shouyou muttered. "I know you don't like to talk about that kind of stuff."

It was not that Kenma couldn't talk about sex. He could talk about it on a general level – he just didn't like picturing vivid details of his best friend going at it with his boyfriend.

Luckily Shouyou was already changing the subject, waving the manga in his hand. "Did you like it?"

"I did," Kenma admitted. Maybe he didn't think it was as great as Shouyou did, but he had enjoyed reading it.

"I can borrow you the next volume if you want."

"I'd like that. Thank you."

"No problem!" Shouyou grinned, turning his attention to the movie for a change. It didn't last long though. "You know, I find your bedroom a bit creepy."

"I know, you've said it before."

Shouyou tilted his head, thoughtful. "Have I?" 

"Yes." _Like every time you go there._

"Well then. I don't mean you have a scary interior..." Kenma knew that too, his interior was very average with cheap furniture he'd picked from Ikea and second-hand stores. He had a few game posters on his walls but they didn't have frightening images in them. "The atmosphere there just feels a bit off," Shouyou finished.

"I think the neighbour's fuse box is just behind the wall. It might affect people who are sensitive to electromagnetic fields."

"Ooh, you're talking like a real ghost hunter now. I don't think I'm that sensitive though. I don't react to the fuse box in our home."

Kenma shrugged. "This is an old house with some weird electrical solutions."

Shouyou looked like he wanted to say more on the matter but in the end he just turned his head back towards the tv and they continued watching the movie. He ended up staying until eleven, cursing because he had classes in the morning and calling Kageyama to come to pick him up since he was too tired to take the train. After he had left, Kenma went back to the couch, clicked a sappy romantic comedy on, lie down on the cushions and pulled a wool blanket up to his chin.

* *

A week later Kenma had come to the conclusion that no more candidates would show up and even if they did, it wasn't probably the best decision to wait. He had gotten a job offer (okay, from someone he knew but anyway) and the urge to execute his plan was pressuring his mind. He had to choose.

Cruella de Vil was automatically ruled out and he wasn't very tempted by the sceptic either, so that meant he had to choose between the second and final candidate. The second one hadn't been particularly bad, but Kenma had gotten the impression that the guy was after money rather than experiences which would eventually lead to him getting bored.

So that left... Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuro.

Okay. It had been pointless to wait for a week. From the beginning it had been clear that Kuro was his choice. Just for the heck of it he had waited to see if a local Jason Hawes would contact him, but things didn't always turn out like in movies. He lingered for a little longer, sticking a slice of pizza in the microwave, staring through the window down the street while his snack was rotating on the glass plate. As he munched on the pizza, he kept glancing towards his phone that sat on the edge of the coffee table (or rather, a wooden box that had been turned upside down), silent and yet so demanding. 

_It's not like you have to promise him anything. Just tell him you'll try it for this one case and see if it works out. If it doesn't... just delete his sister's number from your phone._

He'd rather send Kuro a text but since the number belonged to her sister... He selected the entry called 'Kuro's sister' from his contacts list and tapped the green image. It was six in the evening so hopefully the sister had already gotten home from work. Kenma assumed she had a job, seeing that she sustained her unemployed brother.

"Hello?" The call was picked up so quickly that he was stunned for a second. The female voice on the other end sounded cautious, giving the impression that people didn't usually call her at this hour.

"Um, my name is Kozume Kenma. I was actually calling Kuroo Tetsurou. I got this number and..."

She cut him off. "Yeah, he's here. Hang on." 

He heard rustling and a yell which he didn't understand apart from Kuro's name that was included in it (for some reason the sister also called her brother 'Kuro'). He could also make out a faint answer, Kuro's voice, equally spoken in foreign language. Then there was some more rustling and a breathy "Kenma?" He sounded hopeful; he had guessed that Kenma wouldn't call just to reject him.

"Yeah, hi, it's me. I just called to ask if you're still interested in... ghost hunting?"

"Of course I am! I'm so glad you called! When is our first mission?"

Wow, he was in a hurry. "We don't have one yet," Kenma lied. "I think we should meet up again and discuss some details. Plan out our procedures and perhaps look for some equipment." After all, he only had a video camera and a laptop. An EMF meter was a must buy, as well as EVP recorder. 

"Sounds good. I'm free. I can come up right now. Where do you live? What's your address?"

"Should we meet in a café again?" Letting a strange man enter his apartment didn't sound very appealing, especially when the man was so much bigger than him and could probably throw him across a football field with one hand.

"If you want," Kuro said, surprised. "But I thought it would be nicer to meet at a more private place so we wouldn't have to mind our words. Have you made the ad already? Wouldn't it be easier to make with a computer?"

Hmm, how had Kuro thought Kenma would compose the ad? With a pen? And where would he place the ad if not online? At the bulletin board in a local supermarket?

Actually that didn't sound like a bad idea. Old people could have unexplained activity in their home too.

"I'd invite you over here, but I don't live alone and my sister has some work to do tonight."

He was giving legit reasons, but Kenma was still a bit hesitant.

"Hey, just tell me your address and I'll bring some take-out with me. There's a pretty good burger place just around the corner."

"I just ate," Kenma muttered.

"Oh, I'll just get something for myself then if you don't mind?"

"I don't but..."

"Awesome! So, your address? Hold on, I'll just get a pen and paper so I can write it down." Kenma heard him rummage around and shout at his sister before he returned onto the line. "Alright, hit me!"

With a not-so-tiny voice nagging into his ear, Kenma heard himself recite his address. This was one of those moments that in horror movies were called cardinal sins – one of those that separated the survivors from the idiots who got decapitated by an axe murderer.

"Oh, that's not very far, I think. I'll be there in half an hour or so. See you in a bit, Kenma!" Kuro said, ending the call. Kenma stood there for a minute or two, the phone in his hand, staring as the swipe lock returned to the screen, before wandering to the couch and flopping down. He clicked the tv on just for the heck of it but didn't pay attention to what was on.

Wasn't it normal to ask a new acquaintance over? Why was he so wary?

(Why had Kuro wanted to come over so badly? Why couldn't they have met in a café?)

When had he become so suspicious of people? He couldn't even recall any traumatic experiences in his past, something that would have justified his prejudice. Was he basing his concern only on Kuro's looks?

Taking a deep breath, he focused on his phone again, typing out a message.

_'Could you call me in an hour? If I don't pick up, call the police.'_

This time Shouyou called two seconds after the message had been declared as sent.

"Dude, seriously! If this project of yours is so dangerous, shouldn't you recons–?"

"It's not about that," Kenma cut him off. "I chose Kuro – remember, the last candidate – because everyone else is out of the question and now he's on his way here and I just wanted to make sure..."

"Why did you choose him if he seems dangerous?"

That was a good question.

"He doesn't seem dangerous. He's just a bit eccentric and you can never be sure."

"If you're not sure, why did you ask him to come to your place?"

"We need to plan stuff out."

"Why can't you do it in a public place? Why can't you wait until you know him better before inviting him over? The world is not as safe as it was when we were kids."

_It wasn't safe even then._

Damn, Shouyou should have been the one to calm his nerves, to tell him that he was exaggerating and being paranoid. Instead, his friend's alarm made a sticky lump form in Kenma's throat.

"I'll be fine. You're just my back-up," he forced himself to say.

"Apparently. I'm like your knight in shining armour. You're really lucky to have me, aren't you?" Shouyou said, his tone lighter. Then he turned away from the phone to shout, "No, Bakeyama, it's not my secret lover, it's Kenma! Shut up and get back to cooking!"

"Your wife trying to escape the kitchen?"

"Yes, I think I have to go there and put him back in his place. I must say, the spouse material nowadays is quite– _mhph!_ Fuck! Why you–!" The phone was shoved away for a minute and a half which Shouyou used to scuffle with his boyfriend. Those two had a weird relationship. They had been practically enemies in the beginning and now, after three years of dating and one of living together, they still tended to drive each other up the wall, yet they never spoke about breaking up. But who was Kenma to say how relationships worked? He'd never been in one.

"Sorry about that," Shouyou was panting as he returned onto the line. "Stupid Bakeyama threw a wet dishrag at me. What were you saying?"

"Actually I think that was it," Kenma said. He could have hung up while Shouyou was busy with Kageyama, instead of waiting on the line and listening to their lovers' quarrel. "I have to go now. Need to clean a little bit. Just, call me later, okay?"

"Sure thing. But promise me that if anything seems out of place, you run."

"If he turns out to be a murderer, I run."

"Good. Okay, talk to you in an hour."

"Yeah, bye."

Kenma sat on the couch for a good five minutes before kicking himself up and walking to the bedroom to quickly make his bed. Then he went to the kitchen, turned on the tap to run water over the dirty dishes lying in the sink and wiped down the counters. He collected the clothes lying around the apartment and threw them into the laundry basket. The bathroom he had cleaned a couple of days ago, trying to get rid of a strange smell that had been lingering in there lately. Scrubbing every surface hadn't fixed it. Must be the pipes. He should call the landlord about it.

The cleaning took him about fifteen minutes. After that he just sat in the kitchen and fiddled with his phone, his heart pounding in his throat. When had someone else besides his landlord, Shouyou or Kageyama been to his apartment? Even his parents didn't visit him; it was always the other way around.

Keiji. Keiji had been there to help him when he had moved, along with his bulky and loud boyfriend, but after that they hadn't visited. Kenma wasn't the one to ask people to come over and Keiji wasn't one to impose. He had promised to throw a housewarming party but had never gotten to it, and now, after living in the apartment for over six months, it sounded ridiculous.

But it was okay. He could do it. He could handle a new person in his home. If Kuro behaved himself, that is.

Kenma jumped when the doorbell rang. Tucking his phone into his pocket, he got up to his shaky feet and went to the door. He checked through the peephole that the person standing behind his door really was Kuro and not someone else. He saw the same red hoodie and worn-out jeans along with a plastic bag which probably had the take-out in it. Taking a deep breath, he turned the lock and pushed the door open. 

"Hey, Kenma! For a while I wondered if I've come to the right place. Your name is not on the door."

"Uh, yeah, I forgot to put it there when I moved and... then forgot it again." He stepped aside, allowing Kuro enter. The black-haired man took in the entryway before crouching to take off his shoes. He handed the plastic bag over to Kenma and attacked his shoe laces.

"I brought a burger for you too. It's okay if you don't want it, I can easily eat two."

"Oh, thank you." Kenma peeked inside the bag. The burgers seemed to be neatly wrapped up, no signs that someone had opened them afterwards and... added something in them. "I'll pay you."

"No need. They are really cheap there." Kuro straightened and glanced at him from underneath his hood. This time it looked like he had a reason to wear it. Judging by the wet spots on his head and shoulders, it had started to rain. "Do you think I could spread my jacket somewhere to dry?"

"Yes, the bathroom is over there." Kenma pointed towards the said room. "There's a drying rack you can use. I'll just... go to the kitchen and set up the table."

"Okay, be right with you."

Trying to swallow his nervousness, Kenma busied himself with unpacking the food. Sensing the delicious smell, his stomach reminded him that he had only eaten one slice of pizza. He was rather happy that Kuro had ignored his words and brought enough food for him too.

He had only managed to take two plates from the cupboard when Kuro walked in. And that was where both his actions and time stopped.

It was quite a relief that time stopped too – otherwise Kenma might have dropped the plate he was holding in his hand. Otherwise he might have screamed like a tortured pig.

It was moments like this when he was very happy that he didn't have any problems with his sphincter. It was also moments like this when he forgot any manners that his mother had ever taught him. "What the– Stop right there!" 

His shout startled Kuro, making him freeze in the spot which was way too close to Kenma. He was too close but he was also blocking the doorway. Kenma had no chance to escape.

Kuro had taken off his jacket, meaning that he wasn't wearing the hood. Meaning that Kenma could see his face.

Kuro had a lot of hair. Resembling a horse's mane in its coarseness, it was cascading down his neck, enveloping his face, highlighting its paleness, wisps sticking up and bouncing as he moved. But not even that amount of hair could cover his features which were _not_ those of a human.

Yes, he had two eyes. He had a mouth and a nose which where in their right place. He had eyebrows, a chin, cheeks. And he had ears. Which, by the way, were pointy and big and nothing like the elven ears in the LOTR movies. They resembled more of a bat's wings, thin and almost transparent, veins visible in the bright kitchen light. And they were moving, pricking forward, reacting to Kuro's startle. His eyes were very bright, the amber standing out even more after the light had shrunken his pupils. Which were slit, naturally. 

At some point you just had to let go of the contact lens theory, didn't you?

"What?" Kuro asked, showing his peculiar dentition, sharp incisors and protruding canines, white daggers ready to rip flesh from bone. How could even speak properly with such equipment?

Kenma grabbed the plate harder. It could make a weapon. He could probably distract that... _thing_ with it for long enough to escape. "What's wrong with you?" To hell with not asking why he had such sharp teeth and fucking huge ears.

"Nothing's wrong with me. Why? What's the matter?" He was trying to sound innocent, but he could see that Kenma had figured it out.

"Quit the bullshit! You're not human. What the hell are you?" Kenma pointed the plate towards the creature. He had let it into his apartment and he had no idea what its intentions were. Maybe it was a vampire waiting to suck him dry.

Kuro's shoulders slumped and he exhaled, a little smile rising to his lips. It wasn't menacing. More like compliant. Kenma used that moment to yank out his phone, waving it in the air. "I'm going to call the police and the army. Right now."

Kuro's eyes widened in alarm. "No, don't call the police!"

"Yes, I'm calling them! And my friend. He's big like a bear!" 

"You don't have to call anyone. I'm not going to harm you."

Hah, as if creatures that looked like that weren't born to harm people! Kuro was clearly a carnivore. He resembled a vampire. Or a demon. Yes, that was it. He was probably a demon.

Kenma groaned inwardly. Oh god, he had let a demon in his home. _Okay, calm down for a second and think. Are there any religious objects in the flat? Is he a Shinto demon or Catholic? Or Buddhist? What kind of stuff would work against him?_

"Honestly, Kenma, I'm just here to plan out our ghost hunting, nothing more. I know I might look a bit... different from what you're used to, but I don't eat humans. Look, I brought burgers. Would I have brought burgers if I wanted to eat you?"

Kenma eyed him. "I don't know. Maybe you want to fatten me up first."

Kuro cocked an eyebrow. The gesture was very human-like. "With two burgers?"

"I don't know! I don't know how creatures like you operate."

"I don't think any creatures operate like that."

Kenma sneered at that. His hand was getting sweaty, the plate slipping in his grasp. He moved it to his other hand and wiped his palm in his pants. The time seemed to be moving again, as he heard the clock tick on the wall. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply stood there, observing each other, waiting for the other one make the first move and wondering what it was. 

His heart was still hammering like crazy, but some of the tension slid off Kenma's shoulders as he began to analyze the situation. Kuro hadn't attacked him yet despite of him being armed only with a plate and a phone. He could have, had he wanted to. He looked like a being that moved faster than humans. It also seemed like too much trouble to first participate in the interview and wait for a week in uncertainty just to get your meal. There were easier targets out there. But if Kuro didn't want to eat Kenma, what was he after then?

Kuro sensed the shift in Kenma’s mood, his big bat ears relaxing against his skull, almost getting covered by his generous amount of hair. A rebellious black tuft was trying to sneak its way over his left eye and he lifted his hand, slowly, to swipe it aside. "So, are we good? Can we eat the burgers now? I'm kinda hungry."

"No, we're not good!" Kenma cried out. "First we talk!" _And then I'm going to snap a picture of you, kick you out and call the police, the army, the university and the local newspaper, not necessarily in that order._

Kuro threw his head back, making his Adam's apple jut out, and flexed his fingers – those fingers with black-tipped sharp nails – clearly expressing frustration. He quickly pulled himself together though, as if he understood that Kenma needed more assurance, swinging his head back up and dropping that thick wisp of hair over his eye again. "Alright, let's talk. Go ahead and ask me. What do you wanna know?"

"Well, let's start with what you are. A demon?"

Kuro looked quite appalled by his accusation. "A demon? No, I'm not a demon!" 

Well, he damn sure looked like one.

"I don't even think demons exist," Kuro added.

"What are you then?"

Kuro glanced at his surroundings, his eyes landing on the small table and two chairs around it. He swung his arm towards them. "Wanna sit down?"

"No, I think I rather stand."

He sighed. "Alright then, if you insist."

"Is it a long story? Is that why you want to sit down? Are you going to tell me how as a kid after seeing too many images of Visual Kei bands you got an urge to modify your body and this is a life long process and once you'll hit your 50th birthday, you're hoping to look like Satan himself?"

"Wow, for someone who looks so quiet and reserved you can be quite vocal and sarcastic. No, it's not a long story." Kuro brushed his hand through his black mane, looking slightly defeated. Suddenly his eyes widened and his hand dropped. "I look like Satan?"

He looked and sounded so wounded that Kenma swallowed the instant 'yes' that was threatening to escape his lips. Maybe in Kuro's weird-ass mythical creature culture comparing someone to the old pitchfork wielder was an unforgivable insult.

"Uh, not really, though you do have some traits that are traditionally associated with the devil." But, if Kenma was being honest, once you got over the initial shock and inspected closer, Kuro didn't have any eerie feeling you might associate with demons or other evil beings. Yes, he was a predator with glowing yellow eyes, sharp fangs and nails, but he didn't _feel_ like a supernatural creature. "Does your sister know you're like... that?" He waved his hand in Kuro's general direction.

"Of course she does. She's the same. Or well, half the same. She's actually my half-sister."

"A half of what?"

"Uh, a half-sister, we have the same mother."

Kenma squeezed his eyes shut for a split second. "No, I mean _what_ is that half? What is your mother? Not a demon but what?"

Kuro glanced towards the table again. "You sure you don't wanna sit down?"

Kenma hesitated.

"You can sit closest to the door if you don't trust me."

Switching their positions sounded tempting. But only if Kuro moved slowly and far away from him.

"Alright," he said. "Just... go around that table and stay close to the wall. Keep your hands where I can see them. Sit down very slowly."

Kuro did as he was told, circling as far as he could and with very careful moves pulled the chair out and sank down. He placed his hands on the table palms flat against the surface and looked at Kenma expectantly.

"I'm going to take something from the lower cupboard," Kenma said, opening the door and fumbling around blindly, his eyes never leaving his some-mythic-creature-but-definitely-not-demon visitor. He found a handle and grabbed it, pulling out his heavy cast iron pan and showing it to Kuro. "Now I have this. If you try anything funny, I'm going to hit you with it. In the head. So hard that not even that overgrown mane of yours will soften the blow."

Kuro's eyes flicked to the pan and back to Kenma's face. "I won't try anything, I promise."

"Good. Then..." Kenma moved closer, grabbing the other chair and pulling it further away from the table before sitting on it and lowering the pan across his lap. "Speak. What the hell are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who left a comment or kudos! Keep them coming! They motivate me to write faster. :)

"Can I eat while we talk?" Kuro asked, throwing a longing glance at the burgers. 

"Go ahead. Just... answer me straight. What the hell are you?"

Kuro grabbed a burger and began unwrapping it, ignoring Kenma's question until he had sunken his teeth, his _fangs_ , into his snack. And then he started talking, his mouth full of bread and meat. "Mma sfoll."

"What?"

Kuro swallowed. "I'm a troll." He brought the burger to his mouth, taking another bite and chewing it contently, paying much more attention to it than to Kenma.

"By 'troll' I suppose you don't mean an... internet troll?"

"Whazz 'at?"

"Never mind," Kenma shook his head. It had been an unnecessary question to begin with.

Kuro cleared his mouth. "No, seriously, what's that?"

"It's a person who butts in on conversations and threads on the internet just to cause discord."

"Oh, no, I'm not like that. I'm not even sure how to use the internet." 

Kenma wasn't surprised by that revelation. Kuro probably didn't know how to use a cell phone either.

They sat in silence for a minute or two, Kuro annihilating his burger and Kenma musing over the conversation. He thought he should have freaked out more, but apparently he was already beyond that point. His fingers were still curled around the handle of the pan, but they weren't squeezing anymore. To tell the truth, he was relieved to learn that Kuro was something worldly and not a religious creature. The fact that he was a creature that Kenma had not known to exist... he would just have to process that later, maybe google trolls and read what different folklores had to say about them.

"You don't look like a troll," he said. It was sort of a lie, because of course Kuro looked like a troll with his wild, coarse mane and huge pointy ears, his peculiar dentition and amber eyes with cat-like pupils (which kept widening and narrowing as he leaned forward to take a bite of the burger, his hair casting a shadow over his face, and straightened his figure to look at Kenma). But he didn't look like the image of a troll Kenma had had in his head. To his knowledge, which was based on fairy tales, trolls were very big, clumsy, had rough features and they were growing moss on their back. Which was stupid, of course. Moss didn't grow on live animals.

"You're corporeal, aren't you? I mean, you can't dissipate or levitate or teleport?" he asked, again unnecessarily. That had been the feeling he had had from the beginning: Kuro didn't feel like a supernatural being.

"Hmh, you mean do I bleed if you stab me? Yes, I do. I can't walk through walls, I can't fly or levitate or anything of that sort. I'm faster and stronger than an average human, but there's nothing supernatural to it. That's just how we are."

"And your sister is the same?"

"She's a half-troll. She looks much more human than I do. She can actually walk around without needing to hide her face and she's adapted well to human society. You know, she goes to work, has human friends and so on. She once even dated a human man. I don't know how the hell that worked and she refuses to tell me."

So humans and trolls were capable of reproducing a functioning offspring which meant they weren't biologically that different, even though Kenma had never heard of trolls existing before, and he was pretty sure that applied to the majority of humankind.

Phew. He wondered if he would still believe this stuff in the morning. 

_You believe in ghosts and spirits while most people think they don't exist. You just have to add one more creature to your list of existing creatures. It's as simple as that._

Except that it wasn't. There was a lot of evidence of ghost existing but not of trolls.

"Your burger is probably cold already," Kuro pointed out. "Don't you want to eat it?"

"..I think I lost my appetite," Kenma murmured. "You can have it. I'm... I'm going to make myself a cup of tea."

"You sure?" Kuro checked, his hand already reaching for Kenma's burger. 

"Yeah, go ahead." Kenma got up but held onto the pan, walking sideways so he could keep his eyes on his black-haired guest, a _troll_ , for fuck's sake. Kuro's attention was in the food. He didn't look like wanting to leave his meal for anything less than a fire. Kenma set up the boiler, standing next to it while waiting for the water to boil, revising the facts and wondering what to do. Alright, so, he had a troll in his apartment. He had agreed to go ghost hunting with said troll. The troll seemed to have a great appetite and he was a bit eccentric, but he hadn't threatened Kenma in any way. What the hell should he do now? What did people even do in these kinds of situations? Should he call the police and the army anyway? Take a picture of Kuro and post it on one of the paranormal forums or Facebook groups he liked to spend time in? But it wasn't like anyone would believe him. At least, not anyone sane. They would just brush Kuro off as a cosplayer or something.

"Where do you usually live?" he asked.

"I told you, I live with my sister."

"No, I mean you trolls. Where do you live?"

"Hmm, here and there. There are some living amongst humans but not very many."

Kenma got the impression that Kuro didn't want to say a specific location and he understood so he didn't press it. He measured some matcha powder into a mug, and after waiting for the water to cool down a bit, poured it over the powder and began whisking it with a chasen.

"You want tea? Matcha?" he turned to ask Kuro. 

"No, thanks. I don't really like tea."

Kenma returned to the table, a mug of tea in one hand and the pan in the other. Kuro was wolfing down the second burger, his nails sunken in the bun and crumbs gathering in the corners of his mouth. He glanced at Kenma over his meal but remained quiet, perhaps waiting for him to continue his interrogation. Now that Kenma took a closer look of his guest's face, seeing past his... troll features, he could even be called handsome. The bone structure in his face was strong but even, his lids a bit droopy but his eyes sharp, his jaw line angular and his neck long. And you didn't even want to start about that figure.

But he was still a troll. A mythical creature. A non-human.

A small part of Kenma was excited that he was about to set up a ghost hunting team with a supernatural creature. Like, wasn't that something that would make a great movie? A great tv show? Like The X-Files but with Mulder as an alien.

Nah, that wouldn't have worked. It would have been too ironic. But Kenma's and Kuro's human-troll ghost hunting adventures would have made a blockbuster – or at least a relatively popular web comic.

"Should we talk about the ghost hunting?" Kuro asked eventually, after finishing both burgers, licking his fingers and wiping them dry on a napkin that had been included in the bag.

Kenma shook himself out of his daydreaming. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I suppose we should." No, he wasn't sure if he wanted to team up with a fairytale beast yet, but at least he could hear Kuro out. Who knew how well their ideas matched? Kuro was still a better choice than the cougar.

He was about to ask what Kuro knew about ghost investigations but the troll opened his mouth first, blurting out a question that even all things considered was very much unexpected, to say the least.

"Do you mind if I take off my pants?"

Kenma's fingers tightened around the pan handle. "How about you just keep them on?" _I don't want to see your non-human dick._

He was a bit curious, actually.

Uh, was this that kind of a situation that required quick dialling Shouyou? Where the hell was his phone?

Damn, he had forgotten it on the counter. He didn't want to leave his spot now.

Kuro had already stood up, his hands over the top button of his fly, and Kenma's rather adamant exclamation made him stop and look towards his host cautiously. "Only the jeans, I'll leave my underwear on."

"Just keep the jeans on too."

Kuro huffed. "Alright then. But I might squirm."

"Squirm all you want but the pants are staying on."

Kuro sat back down, carefully and leaning towards his right side, the similar way he had done in the café. Lowering his arms onto the table, he looked Kenma in the eye. "So have you planned the ad out?"

"I have the rough lines in my head. Just need to type it out and decide where to post it. We could actually put it on bulletin boards of shops and libraries to reach those who don't use internet that much. We should make an actual website and... uh, why would you want to take off your pants?"

Kuro blinked only once. "Because my tail hurts and I need to stretch it."

"And by tail you don't mean..?" _It's not a weird German-influenced euphemism for your junk, is it?_

"I mean a tail. I have a tail," he said it casually, like he was stating he had a cold. And perhaps that was why the message was not sinking in. Or simply because Kenma had exceeded the point where he could still continue breaking his worldview.

"As in..?"

"I figured that since we're going to be partners, you should know that I'm not human. And since you now know that I'm not human, you could also learn about my traits that differ from human." Kuro flashed his white, all-too-pointy teeth. "Besides, my tail hurts from being wrapped around my leg. The tip is falling asleep and getting all tingly." He shifted on his chair, wincing a little.

Kenma wanted to go on with the ghost hunting business but he could feel his mind drifting away from the subject again and again. A real tail! Now he was curious. Really, _really_ curious.

"You can take off your jeans," he heard himself say. "Just... go stand a bit further from the table so I can see your hands."

Kuro jumped to his feet, his expression radiating a big relief, and took two steps back. "Is this okay?"

"Yes. But no abrupt moves."

Exaggeratingly slow Kuro brought his hands to his fly again and began unbuttoning it. What first came into the view was red fabric. Red fabric with images of black cats. Kenma found it quite fitting.

Kuro had very nice thighs. An athlete's thighs.

He could feel heat creeping up his face. _This feels like a weird striptease show._

Kuro also had a tail. It was long – longer than Kenma had expected – bendy and very troll-like, with a black tuft in the end and all. Its owner grimaced and hissed in pain as he carefully unfastened three belts that had been keeping the appendix unmoved against his leg, freeing it little by little. "It's not usually this painful but today I've been out for most of the day so my poor tail has been trapped for hours." As his jeans pooled around his ankles (rather hairy ankles, someone might have said), he straightened the tail behind him, letting out a relieved sigh. "Aah, damn, I need to soak it in a hot bath tonight."

Kenma was thankful that he could hold a poker face so effortlessly. _Don't ask him if you could touch his tail. Don't ask him._

He didn't ask. He wasn't even sure he wanted to touch it.

Kuro stepped out of the jeans and folded them onto the back of the chair before taking a seat again. His movement brought a whiff of a distinct smell onto Kenma's side. It made him think of conifer trees and beasts that lived in the woods. Not that he knew what they smelled like but he could easily picture such a heavy carnivore-ish smell on them. Even if Kuro sat still, the tip of his tail moved lazily on the floor next to him, much like a cat's. He didn't pay any mind to it, but Kenma's gaze kept dropping down.

 _Alright, so I don't have a demon in my kitchen. I have a_ troll _in my kitchen._

_I suppose things could be worse._

It was right then when his phone began ringing, making him jump a little. Kuro also startled, his head snapping towards the source of the noise.

It hadn't been an hour yet. Shouyou was early. Kenma rose from his chair and went to get the phone from the counter.

"You still alive?" was the first thing Shouyou asked. "If you're in trouble, just say 'volleyball' and we'll be there in ten with the police."

Trust Shouyou to pick the most random safety word. Kageyama commented from the background that Kenma couldn't just say 'volleyball' out of the blue and Shouyou was being stupid as usual.

"Everything's fine. It hasn't been an hour yet."

"I know but no harm done, eh? I can call you again in half an hour or so if you want."

Kenma glanced towards his guest. Kuro was sitting in peace, mostly looking at him but occasionally turning his head and observing in his surroundings. Twice Kenma could see his ears twist back to listen to the noise from the street. It was a very unusual sight. "No need, I think I'm good. I'll text you later."

"And if I don't get that promised text, I'll call you and if you don't pick up, it's the 119 route again, right?"

Kenma felt his lips curve into a hint of a smile. "Yes."

"Got it. Tobio and I are gonna watch a movie now. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye."

He stared at the phone for a few seconds before returning to his seat. He first lowered the phone onto the table but decided against it and hid it in his pocket. He couldn't afford to be careless. Not yet.

"Was it the same friend who called in the café?" Kuro asked.

"Uh, yeah, it was, actually." _Are you implying that I have only one friend?_

"You talked in the same way. He seems to have a tendency to call too soon."

"Um..." Kenma didn't really know what to say to that without revealing that Shouyou's calls had been his emergency exits. "How did you know it was a 'he'?"

"It sounded male."

"Wait, you heard him?"

"I did. Well, not everything he said but I heard his voice."

Kenma peeked towards his pocket. Had he accidentally turned the volume up? Or... "Is your hearing seriously that good?" After all, Kuro had heard him talking with the other candidates in the café.

"Uh, yeah. I think so. I usually have no trouble eavesdropping on conversations." Kuro flashed a grin. He had a sesame seed stuck between an incisor and a canine. "My senses are generally a lot better than humans'."

"Not only your hearing? Can you smell better too?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Can you smell..?" Kenma trailed off to think for a moment. What he could ask?

Kuro was already on it, probably having guessed what he wanted to ask. "I know you had chicken for lunch today. Or it could be yesterday. It smells a bit rancid already so you should probably take the trash out soon. It also smells like a pizza in here, but the smell is so strong that I think humans can pick it up too."

Whoah. Whoah! Just... wait a minute! What else he was able to sense? What other food Kenma had in his apartment? When Kenma had gone to the bathroom? When he had showered? When he had changed his underwear?

"What else can you hear?" he asked, paddling to safer waters. 

Kuro shrugged. "Neighbours talking."

Kenma held his breath, listening. He could hear the neighbours sometimes, but not this time.

"No, wait, it's their tv," Kuro said, his ears pricking a little. "They're watching a cooking show. Occasionally commenting on it." 

"Which neighbours?" Kenma asked.

Kuro nodded to his right side. "The ones behind the wall. The one underneath is either sleeping or not at home, since I can't pick up anything."

Kenma had never heard anything from his downstairs neighbour. The walls weren't that thick but the floors were.

_Do you have any idea how amazing this is? You have a partner who has super sharp senses. He'll be able to pick up so much more stuff than you. Your investigations will be incredibly successful._

_Do you have any idea how embarrassing it will be working with such a sensitive creature? He's going to hear every tiny pass of gas or burp or bowl movements!_

"I can almost hear your thoughts, you're thinking so hard," Kuro noted.

"I was just thinking how this might affect investigations."

Kuro could have said that he was the best Kenma could ever get. No human was a match to him when it came down to finding activity in empty houses. But he didn't say anything, merely nodding in acceptance. He also noticed the sesame seed stuck between his teeth and instead of trying to get rid of it with his tongue, he just used his pinkie nail to pluck it out.

"Do you know how sharp your senses are compared to animals, say, a dog?"

"I'm not sure, after all no one has ever done research on the troll senses. If I had to guess, I'd say that a dog's sense of smell is better than ours. But my vision is better than a dog's. I can see in the dark pretty well. I think I mentioned that I'm naturally nocturnal but living in the human world has forced me to change my habits."

_Whatever you do, don't turn him down! Don't send him away! The guy's a goldmine. He's something other ghost hunters out there don't have. Maybe he doesn't know how to use the internet but he corresponds to a half of the investigation equipment!_

Kenma pushed the eager voice aside for a little longer. He needed to keep his cool. "You do realize that if we were to team up and began our investigation, you'd have to hide your true identity?"

"Of course! That was actually my... condition. Because the majority of humans don't know that we exist and it should stay that way. If people found out about us, it could endanger our whole species." This was the first time Kuro's voice adapted a tone close to a warning. 

Kenma briefly wondered what the troll would have done if he had actually called the authorities, but buried it under more pressing matters, not wanting to think about it too much. 

"I'd be wearing my hoodie or other concealing clothes. Maybe I misunderstood but I got the impression that it would be just the two of us doing the investigation and the house owners or occupants would be away," the troll continued.

"That's my vision of it too, but naturally there will be some interaction with the client." Kenma would probably need to take care of that by himself. Kuro's appearance could draw some unwanted attention and in the worst case make the client withdraw from the contract. He wasn't happy about the thought. He had been hoping for a partner who was less awkward with people than him.

Kuro wasn't awkward. It was just his appearance. Could he maybe use some make up or a mask to hide his troll features? He still couldn't give up the hood, since there was the matter of his ears. He had as much hair as... well, a troll, but his ears were still too big and too animate to be hidden underneath it.

"I'm just wondering how many questions it will raise if one of the investigators looks like a burglar." 

"Yeah, I can understand that. Maybe you should do the initial work on your own then."

"Hmh, maybe." Kenma still wasn't very fond of the idea. "Or we'll just do it together, see how our first client reacts and then adjust our procedures accordingly."

"So if they freak out, I'll step out of the picture until they have left and the house is clear."

"Yes."

He was aware that he was talking about 'them' and not only on a hypothetical level. He was planning. Kuro was planning too. 

"Sounds good. I do hope they won't mind me. Maybe I could wear sunglasses. Look more like a celebrity than a burglar."

"Or you'd just look like you had a hangover."

Kuro laughed at that. "You know, I'm very bad with booze. Trolls can't really handle alcohol, it's genetic. I can get totally wasted like from one can of beer and then I have one hell of a hangover. My sister can handle it better thanks to her human side, but she's gotten into some tricky situations when she's been forced to drink alongside her colleagues. It's apparently an on-going joke at her workplace."

Kenma cracked a small smile. Perhaps he'd get to meet Kuro's sister one day. He was rather intrigued to see how many troll features she possessed.

"Alright, we should talk about the hunting itself," he said. "Have you had some personal experience of the supernatural..." Now _that_ was one weird thing to ask from a being that was considered supernatural. "..and what was your reaction to it?" This question was essential. He didn't do jack shit with a partner who screamed and ran out of the house on the first unexplained creak.

"I've had my fair share of experiences. I've met spirits, both human and troll and..." Kuro mused over his words for a second or two before finishing his sentence with just a smile. Kenma wondered what other supposedly fictional creatures he had almost mentioned before catching his tongue.

"You said you don't believe in demons."

"Not really, no." He must have seen where Kenma was getting at as he quickly added, "Ghosts, yes. Demons, not so much."

"Don't you believe that some spirits could be malicious?"

Kuro's brows scrunched. "Are they?"

"Yes."

"Cool. But you know, I think that makes sense. If the person was nasty when alive, why would they change their personality after death? I meant that I don't believe in religion-originated demons that can be repelled with prayers and religious items."

Kenma just hummed. He would have very happily agreed but he wasn't sure. There were several documented cases in which the church had had to intervene in order to subside a sinister type of haunting.

"How did you react when you met spirits?"

"I was surprised first, I suppose. But they've always seemed very peaceful so I've just kinda... let them be, go on with their business as I go on with my own. I once tried communicating with one but it didn't care about me. I'm not sure if it even knew I was there."

Must have been a residual haunting then, Kenma reckoned. "I think I mentioned before that our main goal is to observe and investigate. Document. We're not preachers or ghostbusters, therefore we don't try to repel or catch. If the client needs any help with getting rid of the spirit, we can help in finding a suitable authority."

"Uh-huh. I think catching ghosts sounds stupid to begin with. How would you even do that?" Kuro scratched his chin as if to demonstrate hard thinking, only to suddenly straighten his posture and lean sideways to peek over Kenma's shoulder. His ears were flaring ever so slightly, as well as his nostrils. 

Great, he probably caught a whiff of dirty laundry or something. Kenma supposed that he'd just have to get used to it, Kuro reacting to stuff that he couldn't sense, if they were to make a successful team. He'd have to get used to the troll smell, too, so that he wouldn't confuse it with smells that might have a ghostly origin. 

"Do you know anything about different types of haunting?"

Kuro's eyes snapped back to Kenma, but the position of his ears gave away that his attention was divided. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Like, how haunting is categorized. There's residual haunting, intelligent haunting, poltergeists and so on."

"I have no idea of those," the troll answered honestly. "You think I need to study before we start?"

"Nah, you'll learn along the way." It would be enough for now that Kenma understood the different natures of haunting. Kuro could act as his eyes and ears. "Actually, we might have the first case in our hands already. A friend of mine told me that we could investigate their late granny's house that's been uninhabited for a while now. People just sometimes go there to throw a party or have a get-together and almost every time something weird happens."

"Such as?"

"Let's just hear their description of it. I'm not completely enlightened in the details myself."

"Okay, sounds good. So when will the show begin?" Kuro's eyes were lighting up and his tail swished beside him in an excited manner. Keeping it unmoved throughout a day must be an arduous task. Did it feel like having your arm trapped against your side? Did Kuro ever start feeling claustrophobic? 

"I need to contact my friend and ask when we could go to the location. You said you were free, so do you think I can just agree to whatever day he asks us to come?"

"Yeah, sure. My schedule is clean."

"Okay, then I'll just ask them and let you know."

"Cool."

They sat in silence for a moment, only disturbed by the traffic noise from the street and a door slamming somewhere in the building. Kenma noticed that his fingers had almost let go of the pan. He was only holding for it to not fall from his lap. Without further thoughts he lifted it and placed it on the table, uncurling his fingers from around the handle.

"I can still grab it and hit you if you decide to suddenly attack me," he said but his voice held a light tone. Kuro caught it too.

"No worries. I'm not a violent person. I'm always this kind." He pressed his hand against his chest when saying that, his expression almost smug.

"Are trolls usually aggressive in nature?" That was what the tales said, at least. Aggressive and dumb.

"No more than any other species out there. Males can be territorial and violent when they are competing over food or females, but in general we're rather mild-natured. The first encounter between two trolls can be quite charged but we aim to solve any conflicts without drawing blood."

Kenma took a note that Kuro referred to his kind with biological terms. Was it because he wanted to alienate himself from other trolls or did they just speak in that way? They apparently had their own language so who knew how that worked?

"What about yourself?" Kuro asked. "I mean, what kind of personal experience do you have of spirits and paranormal?"

"Um, mine's mostly about a poltergeist, you know the type that moves things around. I always had a feeling that the house where I lived as a kid was haunted. My parents didn't believe it, but they did witness some results of it, sometimes finding items in strange places and so on. To tell the truth, I didn't believe in the haunting theory myself first. After all, a child is very keen to believe what their parents tell them to believe. I just brushed it off as a bad dream or mishap, like, maybe someone had taken that clock off the wall to change the batteries, placed it on top of the tv – or sometimes under it – and just forgotten about it. It got kind of scary when mom found a big bread knife in the laundry basket, but she still blamed it on me or dad. Dad thought mom had done it herself, after all she was the one who usually sliced bread and did the laundry. And that was how the whole thing was dismissed. We moved out from the house when I was thirteen and the new house didn't have any activity so in the end everyone just forgot about it, expect for me."

"What about now? How are things now?"

"Well, I still don't think my parents believe in any of that stuff. They'd probably think I was nuts if they heard what I'm up to. They might find out eventually, though. It's not like I'm planning to tell them but–"

"Oh, no, I wasn't talking about that," Kuro interrupted. "I was talking about this apartment. And the entity that lives here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that while most of the characters are Japanese, the supernatural world is mostly based on western beliefs, events and stories.
> 
>  **November 2017 - Note to my readers**  
>  I'm currently working on an original novel (vampires, very gay) which will be released sometime during the first half of 2018, with both eBook and printed version available. If you're interested in reading my original stuff, please follow my Twitter author account @sakeranen for further news. I mostly tweet in Finnish, but the news regarding the release of the novel will be in English too.

**Author's Note:**

> T.A.P.S. = The Atlantic Paranormal Society (Ghost Hunters)


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